i love you
by lovelylehanna
Summary: Those three words weren't said often back on the Isle of the Lost, but she could get used to hearing them from her father.


**Hello! I'm Lehanna. I usually write for the Girl Meets World fandom, but today I'm venturing into the Descendants fandom. One thing you should know about me is that I'm trash for family relationships. This story is an example of that.**

**...**

(before Descendants 3)

It didn't take long for Mal to realize that parents on the Isle and parents in Auradon were different. She quickly saw the contrast in how the former king and queen treated their son versus how Maleficent treated her.

Ben's dad was formerly a beast. Based on the fairytale, he seemed to have anger issues, but Mal noticed Ben never had any bruises, cuts, or burns. No one on Auradon had them. That was the moment Mal knew that the Isle was even worse than she thought.

The way villains interacted with their children varied. Dr. Facillier loved Celia and would never hurt her. The Evil Queen was verbally abusive to Evie, but not physically. Jafar mainly hit Jay when he didn't steal enough loot. Carlos was also frequently physically abused by his mother like Mal. Dizzy was mainly yelled at by her grandmother and forced to clean the grimy salon. In short, most villains didn't show love to their kids.

Mal arrived at a royal event with Ben. She had already forgotten what it was for but pretended to know. The couple walked over to Ben's parents to have a chat.

"Son, the people here are very happy with the work you've done." King Adam grinned at his son and pulled him in a hug. "I'm so proud of you. You have been a great king so far."

Ben looked thankful, but not surprised. It wasn't out of the ordinary for his parents to be so supportive of him. "Thanks, Dad."

The purple-haired girl felt selfish for it, but she couldn't help but feel jealous. He had great parents that loved him unlike her.

"I love you." Mal was taken out of her thoughts by those words being said to Ben by his mom. Had her mom ever said that to her? Mal tried to think of a time she was told that, but couldn't.

"We both love you," his father added.

Her dad hadn't said those words either. He left when she was a baby. For so long, she thought her father was a human. He was actually a god named Hades. Mal found out by finding her torn birth certificate when she was back on the Isle of the Lost.

She wasn't sure how to feel when she found out. Her parents were the first and second most powerful villains. Everybody knew about her mom being Maleficent, but how would they feel about Hades being her dad? Would they start hating and fearing her again?

Mal watched Ben and his parents having a loving conversation. She would never have that with either of her parents. If Maleficent never showed her love, the more powerful Hades never would as well.

"Right, Mal?" Ben asked. She gave him a confused look to let him know that she wasn't listening. "I asked if you were okay with doing a speech about VKs at the first Auradon for Change event."

She distantly responded, "I'd love to."

"Are you okay? You seem upset," he questioned, noticing her distracted tone. Ben put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Uh, yeah," Mal lied. She wasn't one to open up to others about her feelings, especially her feelings about her parents. Those were to remain buried in her mind. Still, Ben tried to get her to talk from time to time.

She didn't convince Ben, but he didn't push her to reveal her true feelings, and she was glad. The only thing worse than opening up to Ben was opening up to Ben with his parents present.

Mal smiled when he entangled his fingers with hers. "How about I leave you three alone for a little?" Before he could object, she walked to the dessert table to eat some chocolate-covered strawberries.

She noticed that Ben would worriedly glance at her while he talked to his parents. "I don't get why he's so concerned about me. I'm fine," Mal muttered to herself despite the aching feeling in her stomach - the feeling of loneliness.

...

(after Descendants 3)

The barrier was down, meaning Mal could see her dad whenever she wanted. Some high-risk villains were specifically put into a prison so they couldn't wreak havoc, but her father wasn't considered a threat. Maleficent would have been, but she's still a lizard.

Her dad requested to have dinner with her to have a proper reunion. Mal was obviously nervous leading up to it. The fidgeting and slightly heavier than normal breathing didn't go unlooked by her fiancè.

"Ben, I'm fine. I'm just a little on edge. This is my last chance of having a parent in my life." She highly doubted that her mom would ever come around, so her dad was the only one left.

Her soon-to-be husband looked displeased. "Mal, you know my parents think of you as their daughter."

"It's not the same," she dismissed.

A maid that worked at the castle knocked on Mal's door. "Lady Mal, your father is here."

"Thank you, Gabbie. Let him in."

Hades entered the room with a smirk on his face. Ben's face flushed at the sight of the god. "Hi, Da - Hades."

"Beast Jr," he greeted, choosing to ignore that Ben almost called him dad again. "Are you ready to go, Mali?"

"Yes, I am," Mal said with a smile. How bad could this be? Her dad obviously cared about her and wanted a relationship with her.

...

The two were seated at a table outdoors. They were eating at one of the finest restaurants in Auradon. Since the future queen and ex-god of the underworld eating dinner together were sure to attract paparazzi, Ben had requested that they stay away or else they'd face repercussions.

"Nice night, isn't it?" Hades asked to break the awkward silence.

The half-faery looked up from her steak she was picking at to gaze at the stars. "Yes, it's beautiful."

"That fiancè of yours, you really like him, don't you?"

"Yeah, but if you told me two years ago I would be engaged to King Adam's son, I would have laughed in your face." She twisted her fingers around her fork while she worked up the courage to ask a question that was burning in her mind. "So, why did you leave?"

Hades took a moment to respond. "I already told you. Your mother is hard to get along with. Plus, having me around would've just made you softer."

"Mom was still around. I'm not soft," she argued. As much as she wanted to move on and make memories with her father, she couldn't help but be mad at him.

"She has an easier time not showing you affection."

"Believe me, I know," Mal grumbled. She shoved a piece of bread in her mouth. "Sometimes having an absent parent doesn't make you stronger. It can make you broken."

The god stared at her with a sorrowful expression. His heart had an aching feeling in it. "How bad of a mom was she?"

"How bad was she?" Mal bitterly laughed. "She's the mistress of evil. Guess."

"Did she hit you?" he softly questioned. As bad as Maleficent could be, he didn't think she would hurt her own daughter.

The purple-haired girl rubbed her arm for comfort. "Of course she did. What kind of evil villain would she be if she didn't?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't know." Mal just nodded and continued eating. "You know I love you, right?"

Her breath hitched and her fork stopped midway to her mouth. She looked at him to read his expression then looked away. She hadn't expected her dad to say those words. Sure, he cared about her, but love was as strong of a word as hate.

Hades surveyed her shocked face, worrying that he shouldn't have said the last part. "Mali? Are you ok?"

"Huh?" Mal gazed back at him. "Oh, yeah. I'm just fine."

"Ok, good."

"Did you mean it?" she suddenly asked. Maybe he was just trying to be a good dad to her or something.

Hades figured that Maleficent probably didn't tell Mal she loved her often, and she was just shocked to hear it coming from one of her parents. "Did I mean it when I said I love you? Yes, of course. I always loved you."

Her lips formed a smile. "I love you too, Dad."

**...**

**I'm really proud of this. I hope you liked it!**


End file.
